Pseudo
by orchidork
Summary: Edward meets a girl who he takes interest in. She's supposed to get married soon to a man she's never met before. Willing to do anything, Edward pretends to be her fiance and turns her world upside down. what happens when her real fiance shows up? AH E
1. prologue

**i was watching another bollywood movie again a few days back and i thought that this would be a great Twilight story. let me know what you think and how i can improve this. read and review.**

**disclaimer- twilight, new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn belong to stephenie meyer. the idea for this story doesn't belong to me either**

Prologue

Edward clenched his jaw tightly shut and stared through narrow eyes at the man standing in front of him. No one said a word and yet Edward couldn't help but feel that his every secret was being revealed to the one person who was most important to him. If he lost her, he would lose everything.

He was hyperaware of the perfect girl standing next to him with her chocolate eyes focused on his grave expression. It took every fiber of his being to not turn toward her and confess about the web of lies and deceit he'd placed her in.

He'd been so sure that nothing would go wrong, that his plan had no flaws but it was that one small mistake, one mistake that was easily overlooked that would change their lives forever. If only Bella hadn't been there to witness what would soon follow. He didn't want her to know what he had inadvertently done to her thinking that he was somehow helping her but failing miserably.

Would she believe his reasons or would she construe them in a way that made him out to be a betrayer, a lie, a fake? After all, when he thought about it that way, he was everything he'd promised himself in the beginning he wouldn't be.

The air was tense and Edward had never felt so helpless in his entire life.

"Edward?" Bella asked in her low voice. "What's going on?"

Tortured, he closed his eyes at the most significant sound in his world, a sound that would be taken away from him for good.

"What are you hiding from me?" Her voice broke.

Edward snapped his head up and locked his gaze on Bella's confused eyes. He knew he should've listened to Jasper and Emmett then maybe his actions wouldn't have had such terrible repercussions. He'd meant for Bella to find out but not like this.

"Bella," he whispered, his voice laced with pain. "I'm sorry."

The man standing in front of him didn't say a word. He only watched the exchange between Bella and the way she was looking at Edward, like he meant everything to her. He didn't want to ruin this second for them though he had to do it.

Edward Cullen had been perfect at everything in college. He'd been better and that wasn't going to be tolerated today. Just this once, the man wanted to see him vulnerable. He wanted to see what the real Edward Cullen was like when this Bella, the person who clearly mattered to him the most, would be taken away. The man felt guilty but not enough to let Edward have his way.

"Bella," Edward mouthed again, straining his eyes away from Bella's face. "I think you should go. There are some things we need to discuss."

Bella, however, didn't move. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on."

The man grinned widely at her stubborn nature while Edward shook his head, still uncomfortable. "I'm not hiding anything. This has nothing to do with you."

At that, the strange man broke out into a roar of laughter. Edward's cold eyes shot him a murderous glare that he ignored. "Why lie to her Edward? You've been doing enough of that lately. Doesn't Bella deserve an ounce of truth? You know that she has everything to do with our situation. She has every right to be here."

"You've been lying to me?" she whispered. She watched the guilt as it consumed the striking man.

The man smirked and answered for him when Edward refused to speak. "Of course he is. Come on Edward. Tell her. Tell her that you're not her real fiancé. I am."

**leave a review. they inspire me to write. **


	2. bad news

**so here is the first chapter. thanks to everyone who reviewed**

**disclaimer- twilight, new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn belong to stephenie meyer. the idea for this story doesn't belong to me either**

"So Rosalie, did Nurse Simpson give you a flu shot?" Edward asked as he walked through the door.

Rosalie, the beautiful blond, just rolled her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to hide her smile. She looked at her watch and then glared pointedly at Edward.

"Look Doctor. I really have to get going soon or else Royce is going to be on a rampage. You know how he gets," she stated with a casual wave of her hand.

Edward just smiled at her. He knew exactly how Royce King got whenever Rosalie Hale was gone for too long or when she would forget to call him every hour. Edward had witnessed several of Royce's tantrums in the hospital hallways before and had always felt incredulous when Rosalie would just ignore them.

"When does Royce expect you for dinner?" Edward asked cautiously. "I wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

"It doesn't matter. I just want this checkup over with and done. You know how long it's going to last? Because I've got better things I could be doing." Rosalie grimaced.

With a wide grin, Edward pulled the stethoscope off of his neck. "Just the breathing exercises are left. I assume Nurse Simpson did the rest?"

She nodded, still grimacing. When Edward didn't move, she glowered at him and kicked at his leg with her dangerously high heels. Rosalie was known for her fits.

Seeing the movement, Edward gracefully dodged it. "Ironic how you're trying to injure the person who's supposed to help with injuries."

"Just hurry it up Edward. I'm not in any mood for your cheerful attitude today."

Edward didn't know how long he'd had Rosalie Hale as a patient. She was beautiful. There was no doubt about that but there was something about her that had infuriated him on that first fateful day. Rosalie wasn't exactly the friendliest person and when she'd told him her boyfriend of four years had proposed to her, Edward had to try very hard not to balk. Ice Queen was going to get married and rid the world of her hostility. Edward had felt sympathy for Royce at first but then at the time, he didn't know Royce's temper was just as bad as hers.

After many appointments with Rosalie though, somehow they had struck up a friendship. Edward couldn't help but compare her to his best friend Emmett. They both had sold exteriors but inside, there was some vulnerability.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on Ice Queen? You seem more like Rosalie than Rose today." He put the earpieces of the stethoscope into his ears and the chestpiece on her back. "Take a deep breath."

She inhaled loudly as Edward listened to the sound.

"Well, I went to a club today with Royce and a few friends. It was going great until this boy with curly hair came up to me and told me he was 'enamored' by me." She rolled her eyes again.

Edward nodded listening to her every word. "Exhale."

Rosalie let out the air. "I thought he was handsome and was about to thank him when all of a sudden, he got down on one knee and proposed. He said he knew we were meant for each other. I was going to laugh at his obvious attempt at a joke that no doubt his blond friend tricked him into but Royce came up and punched him in the face. It was so humiliating."

"You've got yourself an overprotective fiance."

"Royce needs to know that I can take care of myself."

"Why don't you tell him to stop being himself?" Edward winked while scrawling some words onto a sheet of paper. "You could get yourself a better man with your looks but I think you need to manage your anger somewhat."

"I'm not about to take anger management classes," Rosalie seethed and stood up from the exam table. "Are we done?"

"All clear as always. Just hand this sheet to the nurse on your way out." Edward said. "I hope things work out between the two of you."

Rosalie turned and grinned genuinely at Edward. "Thanks. You're the only person I can tell this stuff to and I know that sometimes you get tired of all my rambling."

"Well, you do have a pretty boring life. It gets tedious after awhile," Edward joked.

"Very funny." With those words, she walked out the door.

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Now to begin the night shift, he thought with a frown. It wasn't as if he hated being a doctor. A person could only handle so much blood at the time, though. He strode through the halls, always amiable with his patients. Around two o'clock in the morning, Doctor Snow told him that he was no longer needed for the night and had the next two days off of work. Edward, too tired to rejoice, thanked the doctor and headed to his Volvo in the cold October night.

He drove through the dark streets. The thought of home cheered him considerably, that is until he felt his car stop working on its own. With a groan he stared at the dashboard only to see that the car was out of gas.

Sometimes Edward wondered what he had done in his past life to deserve such a fate as this. He awoke in the morning to find that his alarm hadn't gone off but thought nothing of it. He had rushed out of the house and was only two miles away from the hospital when he realized he had forgotten his license but didn't think too much of it. Then on the way home his Volvo ran out of gas in the middle of a deserted street during a rain storm. Edward knew his patience was being tested.

He pulled the silver phone out of his pocket and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Hello?" a male voice asked.

"Emmett, I need you to come pick me up."

"School's over already?" the voice asked in a joking tone.

It was then that Edward realized he was talking to Jasper. "Jasper? What are you doing on Emmett's phone? Why are you _even_ at his place?"

"Emmett's not in the mood to speak right now. I think he needs some support from a friend."

Edward chuckled for the first time in hours. Emmett's must've been having one of his mood swings again. This he could not miss. "What happened?"

"Long story, dude. I'll tell you when you get here."

"I need a ride home Jasper. My car broke down at the corner of Yorkshire Road. Bring along Emmett if he still needs more emotional support." He ran his fingers through his hair again. "While I'm waiting, tell me the epic."

"It's a classic, haven't you heard?" Jasper asked, laughing. "We were at that new club and there was this really hot girl on the dance floor talking to some friends. I dared Emmett to propose to her which he did of course. I think he used the word 'enamored'. Everything was going perfectly fine until her fiance jumped into the picture and punched him."

Edward, wide eyed, stared through the wet wind shield at the winding road. He was shocked to the point of being frozen. First, that was the most he'd ever heard Jasper speak. Second, he'd just heard the same tale from a different perspective. Without noticing it, Edward was doubled over in laughter.

"Why is he laughing?" Edward heard Emmett ask and then a car honk.

"Jasper, tell Emmett that he just proposed to Rosalie Hale also known as Ice Queen of America. She was my patient earlier today."

"What?" Emmett shouted. He had clearly heard Edward's words.

Edward chanced a glance at his watch which signaled it was almost four in the morning. He was tired and hungry but that didn't matter though. He hardly got a chance to hang out with his two friends. Maybe he would take up the opportunity.

"When you arrive, I'll tell you both all about it."

He watched as a roaring truck wound around the corner. It was so old that Edward couldn't help but wonder who in their right mind would drive a truck like that in a weather like this. Through his tinted windows he watched as the car stop right near his own and a woman sitting in the driver's seat.

Her face was streaked with tears. She wiped them off her face and Edward was surprised to see no mascara came off. He watched her face closer only to realize how beautiful this woman actually was. She had long brown hair with matching eyes so expressive that he couldn't help but feel as if he could look into them forever. Her whole face was pale except for the blush that came with her tears. No makeup, no painted nails. Just this girl who was suffering in pain.

Automatically Edward narrowed his eyes. He was angry at whoever had brought her her pain. Someone as perfect as her should never go through agony. It was wrong. It should have been impossible. He felt the sudden urge to help her and comfort her but he didn't know her.

His eyes followed her every movement as she rolled down the windows. She sat staring at the road until the rain stopped flowing. It was then that he heard her words.

"I can't." She whispered to nothing in particular. "This can't be happening to me."

Edward's heart tore in half.

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Bella Swan sat at the table with a disapproving look on her face as her dad, Charlie fidgeted with his fingers. She wasn't in the mood today. Again she had been rejected by an agent to read over her book. Alice, with all her optimistic lectures, wasn't exactly helping matters either so Bella's patience was on the edge right now.

"What's wrong?" she asked in an icy tone. "Why are you nervous?"

Seeing that her expression wasn't being effective at calming Charlie, she softened her tone. "Dad, is there something you need to say to me?"

Charlie studiously kept his eyes away from hers and rushed his words as if he was begrudgingly speaking them. "Bella, we think it's time that you settled down and we have just the right guy to set you up with."

It was silent for one second. One second that was enough time for Bella to think that her parents were crazy. It was enough time to think that she'd gone crazy herself. It sounded like her parents were setting her up for an arranged marriage. An arranged marriage that would be happening in the 21st century. Maybe she wasn't actually in the restaurant her parents insisted they have dinner with her. Maybe they were back in the olden days when the bride and groom had no say in their future because the phrase "arranged marriage" was never heard in her own time period.

"What?" Bella whispered and turned to look at her mom, Renee. "What's he talking about? What do you mean 'we have just the right guy to set you up with'? Are you trying to interfere in my nonexistent love life?"

Sure she wasn't exactly experienced in relationships but were her parents getting that desperate to have her no longer single? Were Renee's friends pitying her daughter?

"Look, Bella. We're just doing what we think is best for you. You've been single for so long. You're twenty seven years old. Don't you think it's time that you stopped being a bachelorette?" Renee told her.

Bella gritted her teeth. She wanted to shake her parents and put some sense into their minds. She wanted to scream in the restaurant which was surprising since she hardly ever did that. Instead, she spoke in a leveled tone. "Mom, there's a difference in what you _think _is best for me and what you _know_ is best for me. Right now I'm content with my life. When I think I'm ready to get married I'll think about it because it's a huge decision. It's not something that can be done in a spur of a moment. For a second there, I thought you were going to arrange my marriage."

"We are."

"Actually, you're not."

"Bella we're not telling you to go ahead and marry him without even a meeting or two. All we're trying to say is that we've found a nice guy named Jacob Black for you and that you should go on a few dates with him. If you like him, you guys can have a wedding. If you don't then you can move on to other men. That's all there is to it."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal. It's not as if I'll really know the person after a few dates. That's not enough time to figure out whether or not I'm willing to spend the rest of my life with this guy," Bella argued.

Charlie looked up for the first time to watch Bella's agonized eyes. The guilt coursed through him invading his veins. "Just give him a chance Bella and if you don't like it, you can tell us and we won't interfere again."

"Bu-" Renee protested.

Charlie held up a hand to silence her. "That's enough. Bella's right and she has a say in the matter. So, what do you say Bella?"

"Only for you Dad but I'm not playing your games again. Did this Jacob Black agree?"

"He was hesitant at first but he's willing to give it a shot," Charlie admitted, the guilty look back in place.

"Fine then." Bella sighed. "I'll call you guys later."

With those parting words, she stood up and walked out into the rain that she welcomed gladly for the first time in her life. Her appetite was no longer there though her stomach felt empty. All she wanted was for Alice to be sitting at the edge of her bed shaking her awake from her nightmare. This was no nightmare, though. This was harsh reality that she was living through.

Bella was willing to try but she knew that not even fifty dates with Jacob Black would be enough to get her to say yes if there was a proposal from him. She didn't know him at all so how was she supposed to accept? The life that she had carefully sculpted for herself was now in a turmoil that Bella couldn't escape. She'd known earlier that day exactly was path she was going to take but now confusion replaced every single thing. Confusion that even Alice couldn't help with because she would never be able to understand.

It didn't matter though. Not yet at least. She would only consider the matter when the time came up again. Right now, if her book wasn't going to get published, she would continue working as editor of the Meyer Publishing House. She'd follow her schedule as if her life actually hadn't been thrown out of place.

The tears started to fall and she could do nothing to stop them. She knew she was being childish but what choice did she have at rational thought?

After all it wasn't as if her life was about to change for the better.

**leave a review and let me know what you think. sorry for any mistakes**


	3. revelations

**sorry for the late update but this chapter is longer than the others. enjoy and please leave a review. it'll make my holiday more special than usual.**

**disclaimer- twilight, new moon, eclipse and breaking dawn belong to stephenie meyer. the idea for this story doesn't belong to me either**

It was irrational of course, to be feeling anguish over a woman Edward didn't even know. Her words, her tears, her face though would all be his undoing sooner or later. He just wished he would see her again except he hoped there would be a difference in her mood.

He could distinctly remember the events that had unfolded in front of his eyes only minutes ago. The woman hadn't seen his face as Jasper pulled up in Emmett's Jeep beside his own car. She didn't even glance at him when he got out of the Volvo and stood for several seconds as he watched her in confusion and sadness. She didn't take the chance to realize that there were two cars right next to hers as Edward called for a tow truck while he reluctantly sat himself in the back of the Jeep.

He would thank her for that later.

As Jasper drove quietly through the deserted street, Edward stared out the window and let the wind blow his hair in disarray. The air felt cool and soothing against his face. It calmed him but not to the point where he felt at ease.

Not one of them said a word not even Emmett who had his own worries to brood about. Jasper continued his quick and anxious glances at the two men but he was wise enough to grasp that there was no reason to ask anything of them if they wouldn't talk on their own.

The silence was uncomfortable, to say the least although it wasn't anything that they each hadn't dealt with before. When the air became too uncomfortable, Emmett broke it with a loud sigh.

"I mean, come on. Couldn't the idiot have gotten the joke? Even his fiancee was in on it. I wonder why she just doesn't let a moron like him go," Emmett boomed.

"I asked her the same thing but as always she avoided the question," Edward answered dryly. If he hadn't seen the woman, this would have been a conversation that he would've been too happy to have.

"What'd you say her name was again?"

Edward ran his fingers through his hair. "Rosalie Hale, although I prefer calling her Ice Queen."

Jasper sniggered at that. "Yeah, I would agree. When she was talking to me after the embarrassing ordeal on Emmett's part, she yelled quite a bit and told me to 'grow up'." He shook his head. "A good joke never gets appreciated."

Edward unintentionally grinned. "Next time you see Ice Queen, don't mention me. She's a friend of mine now and I would hate for you two to ruin this strange companionship we've struck up."

Neither of them noticed Emmett's eyes as they widened. "What?"

Chancing a fleeting look at Emmett's face, they both burst out in loud laughter.

"If your eyes get any wider, I wouldn't be surprised if they looked like hotdogs," Jasper admitted. "What's with your sudden interest in Rosalie Hale's life anyway? It's not like you've got any chance with her."

When Edward's laughter died down, he added, "Jasper's right, you know. Rosalie's never going to give up her engagement with Royce King no matter how miserable her life is. With Ice Queen, it's all about vanity."

Emmett's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he blinked. "Vanity? What are you talking about?"

Exchanging a quick glance with Edward, Jasper fished something that looked oddly like a crumpled newspaper out of the glove compartment and whirled it at Emmett's awestruck face. On the front cover was undoubtedly a picture of Rosalie Hale and Royce King holding hands. Edward, if he knew Emmett well, saw something similar to fury blazing in his eyes.

"Apparently, arranged marriages are back in fashion. Royce King, the royalty of Rochester"-Edward raised an eyebrow-"set his sights on Rosalie the first moment he saw her at his bank with her dad. And now, they are planning to have a very lavish wedding."

"Sounds very archaic to me," Emmett commented with a shrug. "But what does this have to do with Rosalie's vanity?"

Edward ran his fingers through his hair again. What was going on with Emmett tonight? Why did he care? "Ice Queen's not so innocent in the situation herself. She hasn't told me but I think I can guess her reasoning behind all of this." He hesitated. "Rosalie wants to have a fairytale lifestyle and with royalty like King in her life, there's no doubt that she's going to get what she wants."

"Okay," Emmett answered. He was lost in his thoughts again.

Silence was the only sound that reverberated through the air now and Edward couldn't help but wonder about the woman again. Something had to be seriously wrong in her life if she'd been that upset.

Her words sounded through the night sky as if they were being spoken in his ear.

"This can't be happening to me," she'd said.

"Edward?" Emmett's voice was quiet for once.

"Yes?" Edward answered as he was pulled away from his thoughts.

"What's going on with you? You've been awfully quiet."

Edward could've said the same thing to Emmett. "I've just been thinking."

"About what?"

"I don't know exactly. It's just been so confusing." Edward breathed out a sigh. "I've been a doctor for the past four years of my life and I hadn't even realized it until now."

"What's got you in such hullabaloo?"

Edward couldn't help but laugh. "That doesn't make any sense. You know that right?"

Emmett just pulled up one shoulder and let go. "I know but it was dictionary dot com's word of the day and you look as if your head's going to explode."

"I was just thinking about my life compared to the way other people live. My world is perfect and luxurious but I can't help but think it's incomplete. Rosalie Hale, she has everything made out for her but whenever I see her walk into the hospital, she's never happy until she sees me and I don't think I deserve her smile. I've taken so many things for granted while others are happy with the small things they have in life. I feel so disgusted with myself."

Jasper chuckled. "Why are you getting so philosophical? Isn't that my place of expertise?"

Edward grinned. "Right."

The Jeep halted to a sudden stop. Emmett jumped out and ruffled Edward's hair out of habit, though there was something wrong with the way he did it. He opened the front door to their house and instantly went into the kitchen. Jasper and Edward lingered behind.

"I'll pick up your Volvo while you're asleep at ten in the morning."

"Thanks Jasper."

"Oh, and Edward?"

Edward turned his head to see that Jasper was still standing at the front door.

"When Emmett's not around, you have got to tell my why you're having thoughts like that. Shouldn't you be worrying about a goodnight's bout of sleep instead?"

Chuckling, Edward said, "I should but I'm not and you don't have to worry about me."

"Get some sleep, man. You look like you could use some."

Absently, Edward nodded his head, his thoughts already flying a mile a minute.

Despite the fact that he should've fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, Edward couldn't help but feel wide awake. After the day's events, he wasn't surprised that sleep evaded him. It wasn't something that happened often but he was used to it now. The day had been filled with an excitement he didn't know existed though he could clearly see himself telling Emmett all this who would just shake his head and say he didn't know the true meaning of excitement.

Edward sighed again for what felt like the millionth time and sat up on the bed. Trying to sleep would be a waste of time while he could be doing better things. So instead, he pulled out the television remote from underneath his pillow and sifted through the TV stations. After rolling his eyes on several of the late night shows, he settled on a rerun of _Scrubs_. If only life at a hospital was like that, he thought. Life, however, wasn't like an episode of a soap opera or a sitcom. People didn't learn a life altering lesson after every day of their lives. There were no fairytale endings like Rosalie Hale hoped.

Edward shook his head furiously. What had gotten into him? All because of some woman he would probably never see in his life ever again? It was New York and Edward felt disgusted with himself again.

When morning came and the sun wasn't shining, Edward knew he would be in for a rough day. For one, he regretted watching television instead of sleeping like he should have. Secondly, he could just hear the words "I told you so" coming out of Jasper's mouth. At least, he would now have his Volvo to look forward to.

He glanced sideways at the clock that displayed it was already ten thirty. Groaning, he turned away from the blaring red numbers and made patterns in the walls that weren't there. After what felt like hours, Edward decided to take a shower. He walked into his attached bathroom and let the scalding hot water relax his stiff muscles. It was soothing him and he was feeling more awake than he had in days. He closed his eyes, allowing the droplets to run until all of the hot water ran out.

Edward stepped out of the shower, threw his clothes into the hamper and dressed in a long sleeved collared shirt and jeans. Two days of no work excited and bored him at the same time. Look on the bright side, he thought, at least you get to hang out with Jasper and Emmett.

When he walked into the kitchen, Jasper was sitting at the dining table with a newspaper in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "Morning," he greeted.

"Where's Emmett?" Edward asked, turning his head toward the living room where Emmett usually sat in the mornings.

"Don't know. He woke before I did. That's a first, isn't it?" Jasper said without taking his eyes off of the words on the paper.

"There must be a blue moon tonight."

Honestly, if he had to guess, Emmett was at some place where Rosalie Hale would be. Edward rolled his eyes. Emmett was obsessed and if Rosalie found out that she might now have a stalker, there would be no doubt she would be filing for a restraining order.

"Your car is in the driveway." Jasper stood from his chair. He held out a cup to Edward. "Coffee?"

"Thanks." Edward meant the word wholeheartedly for both the car and the drink that would ultimately wake him for the day. "What's today's main article?"

"Another one of those archaic arranged marriages." Jasper's tone was unsurprised. "I told you they were back in fashion except on this one the girl was betrothed."

"I feel as if I'm back in Shakespeare's time."

"Tell me about it."

Before Edward could say anything else, the front door swung open and the sight in front of them had their eyes bulging. It wasn't a usual occurrence when a smiling Rosalie Hale trudged into their house arm in arm with Emmett McCarty. In fact, it never happened. Unintentionally, Edward felt his teeth snap together. What on earth was going on? There was no doubt about a blue moon tonight.

"Hey, Edward. You never told me you had such a nice roommate. Why didn't you introduce me to him sooner?" Rosalie commented then turned to face Jasper. "And I see you have the blond with you too."

"Hey now!" Jasper feigned insult.

Edward observed Emmett as he listened to Rosalie's words. The man looked like he was a traveler from the Sahara seeing a spring for the first time. A spring he wasn't allowed to approach.

"Sorry about that, Jasper. I had to keep up the pretense for my idiot of a fiance. I didn't mean to yell at you like that last night. It was only to keep Royce from whining and screaming," she explained.

As soon as she'd said those words, Emmett's face crumbled. Although, he did a good job of hiding that expression away from Rosalie's sharp eyes. Jasper, though, didn't seem to notice and if he did, he didn't show it.

"Thanks for having me over, Emmett. It's nice to hang out with some other people from time to time." She looked over to Edward and added, "I hope you don't mind my being here."

Edward waved his hand in dismissal. "Not at all, Rosalie. You're welcome to hide out here as long as you want but I don't want Royce to tear down this house as he raids the neighborhood searching for you. It's not my fault if Emmett brought you home. It's his own head."

At that, Rosalie grabbed the nearest item she could find and chucked it at Edward who again, like the night before, ducked away gracefully. Emmett's booming laughter filled the room while Jasper grinned widely. Rosalie faked a look of anger though there was a distinct smile already being placed on her striking features.

Edward ducked down and bowed while the rest of them clapped at his show. "Thank you. Thank you. And that proves that while Rosalie Hale is predictable, Royce King is not and if he finds out about any of us, especially Emmett, it won't take a genius to figure out who would come out alive if there were ever some war."

As soon as the words were out, Emmett and Edward were quarreling about who would win a fight between Royce and Emmett.

"If I remember hearing correctly, it was Royce who punched you in the face." He took a sip of his coffee.

"That may be true but I wasn't aware of what was going on. You wouldn't be either if you had a woman like Rosalie looking at you."

"I wouldn't let a woman get to me."

"Yeah, right."

Rosalie, amused by their antics, rolled her eyes like she was used to doing but she couldn't help but feel jealous by their playful banter. "You guys are living the life, you know that? In my house, everything always has to be prim and proper. It's so infuriating." She stomped her foot.

"You're welcome here anytime. Except, don't bring your other half with you. I don't want a broken jaw and neither do Emmett and Jasper for that matter."

It was quiet for a few seconds besides the sound of Jasper's newspaper being shuffled when suddenly, they heard him whistle.

"What's up, man?" Emmett asked.

"'Isabella Swan to wed Jacob Black'," Jasper read. "I've been reading this article for a while and it still isn't getting old."

Emmett's eyes widened in shock. "Jacob Black? Are you talking about that basketball player from Dartmouth? The one that kept on harassing Edward?"

"Yeah, that's the one. I can't help but feel sorry for this Isabella Swan. She's really pretty but I can't imagine it being any more than money that's keeping her with a man like Black. Honestly, no offense to you Rosalie, but these women seem to be gold diggers."

Edward went over to stand next to Rosalie exactly the second when she grabbed the paper away from Jasper. "Isabella, though, she'd rather be called Bella and is definitely not a gold digger. In fact, the whole concept of marriage repulses her. I wonder why she even accepted. That's not like her at all."

Looking at the eyes that peered back at him, Edward could feel his pulse racing through his veins and his heart hammering. It was her, he realized. It was the same woman from last night and "really pretty" didn't do her justice. She was beautiful. She was perfect and she looked lost. Immediately, Edward's thoughts from the night before returned to him and he felt frustrated and conflicted.

"I wonder why there's no picture of Jacob," Rosalie wondered aloud.

There was no one who could answer that question. Edward could feel his heart tearing for her all over again but he couldn't tell anyone who wouldn't think he'd gone insane about that.

"Do you know her?" he asked quietly.

"Who? Bella?"

Edward nodded, smiling somewhat.

"Of course. She's a friend of mine. She's trying to get her book published but luck's been avoiding her lately, yet she has a decent job at this publishing house that she claims is a nightmare. Although I have to say, this wedding announcement has to take the cake for being the worst situation Bella's ever been in."

Rosalie didn't say anything else since her phone started ringing quite loudly through the room. "I wonder who that could be?" she asked in a sarcastic voice.

As she walked out of the room to talk privately with Royce, a plan started formulating itself in Edward's head. With every thought that passed through his mind, his grin widened and deviousness crawled up his skin.

"What's going through that thick skull of yours?" Emmett was undoubtedly suspicious.

Edward shrugged but didn't hide his mood as Rosalie strode back in with a wistful expression. "Sorry guys but I've gotta get going. Royce'll be on an ant killing spree if he finds out where I am. I had a great time with you all and I'm going to take Edward up on his offer and be back as soon as I can. Thanks again, especially you, Emmett."

"No problem, Rose." Emmett beamed.

"Hey, Ice Queen," Edward called just as Rosalie was about to pull open the door knob. "Can you promise you won't tell Bella about any of us?"

"Whatever, Edward. Either way, I wouldn't tell Bella about you all. Royce is usually always with me and if I mention I was at the place of three guys then that would be the end to my freedom except that he doesn't have any control over my life like he thinks he does and plus, Bella'd be too stressed out to even listen to what I would have to say."

"Will you do something else for me?" Edward asked skeptically.

"What's that?"

"Call off your engagement with Royce. Please."

"Sure, sure, Edward. Sure, sure." With that, she pulled open the door and walked out.

"You know," Emmett said, "I really feel like biting my thumb at Royce."

Edward breathed out exasperatedly. "Are we still here in the twenty first century or did I reincarnate back to the eighteenth century?"

"You can't reincarnate back in time," Emmett retorted and both Jasper and Edward rolled their eyes.

"Regardless, Edward, I think it's just going to be a blue moon that's going to last a very long time."

**happy holidays**


End file.
